Boryeong fish shop: flounder and pork belly on Wonsando, Nokdo Susan

Where is Nokdo Susan and when is it open?

Nokdo Susan (녹도수산) is a fish shop inside the Daecheon Port fish market in Boryeong, a 1-minute walk from the port and 12 minutes by car from Wonsando Natural Recreation Forest. It packs sashimi in a sturdy styrofoam case with ice on the bottom, so long trips are no trouble, and that's why I went to this takeout favorite, a Daecheon Port fish shop.

• Mon–Fri: 9am – 10pm
• Sat: 8:30am – 11pm
• Sun: 8:30am – 10pm
• Closed on the second Tuesday of every month

Buying sashimi for the Wonsando forest lodge

The Wonsando Natural Recreation Forest opened this year and the competition to book it is fierce, but we got lucky and won a spot, so we decided to pick up sashimi at Nokdo Susan. Normally I'd find cooking at the lodge a hassle and always eat out. But after beating those crazy odds to get in, spending time outside felt like such a waste. Since we were by the sea anyway, we figured: pork belly plus a few slices of fresh sashimi. So here we are at Nokdo Susan, a Daecheon Port fish shop and Wonsando takeout favorite.

What are parking and the vibe like at Daecheon Port fish market?

The Daecheon Port fish market is huge, and so is the parking lot, so parking stress was zero. I've been to Daecheon many times, but this was my first time at the port, and sure enough, being a port, there was an enormous fish market right in front.

Big, but clean and well kept. Shops lined both sides, but unlike Noryangjin, nobody was hawking at us, so walking through never felt uncomfortable.

And the one that popped out at a glance, with its yellow sign and blue lettering, was Nokdo Susan.

I guess this is why color matters so much for an image! The blue reminds you of the sea, and the bright yellow grabs your eyes, so even on a first meeting it left a really strong impression. Seen that way, the row of tanks out front looked extra clean too, didn't they?

The fish inside... I felt a little sorry for them, but at the sight of them flapping around I thought, "Oh, this is going to be fresh." Such a double standard. Sorry, fish, a hungry ajumma (middle-aged woman) is talking here..

Why flounder instead of seasonal cuttlefish

The tanks at Nokdo Susan also had cuttlefish, which is in season right now. Funny thing is, before coming here I had just stuffed myself at a nearby restaurant famous for stir-fried cuttlefish.

Earlier I met it as a fiery red stir-fry, and seeing it live here felt kind of special. I'd had it stir-fried for lunch, so I thought maybe sashimi for dinner, but

nope. For an undiscriminating palate like mine, the most normal, no-fuss choice is the best. Flounder suits me better than anything, so I asked for flounder. Nokdo Susan has flounder in various sizes, so it looks easy to pick one to match your group size.

There were plenty of other seafoods besides fish too, and if you're having a barbecue nearby, buying clams at Nokdo Susan to grill would be great. I wanted to pick a few myself, but the Wonsando forest lodge we were going to doesn't use charcoal fires, so I had to give up on the clams.

How does Nokdo Susan show prices and weight?

Nokdo Susan lists prices per kilogram, which feels trustworthy, so no worries about being overcharged. The weight also shows right on a display in front of the customer.

"How many people are you?" "Two!" They picked a fish to match our headcount, put it in an open basket where there's no way to hide a trick, and set it on the scale,

and the weight popped up right on the display in front of us, just like that.

Is the sashimi still good after a drive on a hot day?

Nokdo Susan packs sashimi in a styrofoam box and seals it completely with tape. I've done sushi takeout countless times, but Nokdo Susan was the first place to pack it like this. Maybe because they do a lot of shipping? The weather had suddenly turned hot and the car was a steam box, so I worried it might spoil, but this takeout favorite gave me zero cause for concern.

We got to the forest lodge, unpacked, wandered around, and finally it was dinnertime. I opened the box just as the meat grill was heating up, and wow, they'd even put ice on the bottom! I'd stuck it in the fridge right on arrival just in case, but with ice in there, freshness was the last thing to worry about.

Ta-da~ this is the 1.4kg of flounder I'm demolishing tonight.

Freebies and what to bring yourself

Nokdo Susan gave us sea squirt (meongge) as a freebie. They give you chojang (spicy vinegar sauce), but there are no vegetables like lettuce, garlic or peppers, so you need to bring your own.

Luckily, since we were having pork belly, we'd already grabbed a heap of wrapping greens at a nearby Hanaro Mart, so the combination was perfect and the dinner was even happier.

Meat and sashimi together.. if we'd had chicken too, land, sea and air would all have met at this table.

How did the flounder at Nokdo Susan taste?

The flounder at Nokdo Susan was freshly caught, with not a hint of fishiness, fresh and springy. Eaten on green lettuce with a dab of ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), a faint sweetness fills your whole mouth.

My favorite, the engawa (fin muscle), was cut thick too, so the chew is great.

There was so much that I didn't bother picking up piece by piece, I grabbed it by the bunch, and the happiness was times two.

Nokdo Susan, a Daecheon fish market takeout favorite with no worries about a long midsummer trip.

With its clean, perfect packing, this Daecheon Port fish shop was great for eating on a trip.